MESQUITE SERVICE CENTER

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62 years old. We want to do anything we can to help patients and their caregivers.”

To that end, Flores suggested starting with two families, but quickly grew the effort to 19 households in just a few months. With the support of Ennis, the team at Mesa View Hospice and the Ladies Mission Group from the Valley Presbyterian Church of Mesquite, several thoughtful, personalized care boxes have been delivered every other week to hospice patients and families in need. All care boxes include food and basic necessities, such as toilet paper and laundry detergent, as well prise-wide global inclusion and diversity initiatives, and a role as a cross-functional project leader for Eaton’s $2.5B commercial vehicle product line. In addition, Seymour was the first National Channel Manager for the Industrial Controls Division where she was responsible for $262M of distribution channel partner sales, strategic marketing initiatives, and programs to cultivate sales growth and increase profitability.

Prior to joining Eaton, Seymour leveraged her leadership skills in operations and consulting positions for institutions of higher education and professional sports, including the National Football League and the United States Military Academy— West Point.

She graduated from Tulane University with an MBA in International Business and Finance with experiences in Asia, Europe and Latin America. She is a former elite track and field athlete, classically trained pianist, with French as a second language, and currently serves on the Athlife Foundation Board of Directors. In addition to serving on the TAB, Seymour is an advisory board member for The Influence Lab and The Command Presence Foundation. NFC ty’s ATS program, at Los Angeles International Airport as he reunited with his two sons from the Philippines. They had not seen each other face-toface in 16 years.

Guzman said Joel came to the program a couple of years ago with a group of six men who were being trafficked.

“Referrals come from all over the place. Sometimes they come from current clients, who have friends who need help,” she said. “We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without our partner agencies. It definitely takes a whole community task force to try to combat this because it’s growing; it’s not going away. No agency can do it by themselves.” as comfort items, such as an afghan or knitted hat, and non-slip socks.

The Salvation Army partners with Public Law Center (PLC), which helps immigrants with housing and legal issues, Homeland Security Waymakers, the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force and the National Human Trafficking hotline.

Guzman said she has to be ready every day for the unexpected.

“We are here to help ease some of their worries with just a meal or letting them know we at The Salvation Army have remembered them and their loved ones during these times,” Flores said.

Ennis and his wife might also go to the store to choose something special, such as a book, and Flores and her daughter have added other unique items, such as a toy, based on requests or needs for patients, their loved ones and their caregivers. In fact, two people who recently came off of the hospice service were moved to give back themselves.

That kind of hands-on, compassionate care is what inspired Ann Hebbert and Christina Young, the organizers of the Ladies Mission Group, to join in. “When we were first approached by Starr to help provide essentials to hospice patients, we were all in,” they

“It’s definitely a lot to respond to,” she said. “And there’s the regular things that need to get done throughout the day—making sure the house is kept up, that the vehicles have gasoline, making sure clients get to work or to school or to their therapy, and making sure the chore chart and shift logs are completed.”

And still, the work has its rewards.

“It’s the survivors and seeing the resilience they have—it motivates me to keep going and to keep helping. It’s an honor to be able to walk alongside them,” she said. “Just seeing that they get up every day and they’re trying to get back on their feet is very motivating for me to get up and get on my feet and continue to do the work.”

Looking ahead, Larsson said she hopes to see The Salvation Army connected to more task forces like the one in Orange County.

“One of the things we highlight is the need for collaboration,” she said. “With this kind of work, the importance of joining with other organizations in our communities is huge.” NFC said. “We’re supported by ladies in our group as well as our very generous congregation. We are dedicated to helping members in our community.”

Recently, one of the patients wasn’t able to write and share her gratitude, however, she did send a message through her case worker: “Thank you for thinking of me through my last days. I am beyond grateful, because I thought I was forgotten. I have a son, and I told him how you guys made my Valentine's Day the day I will remember until my last.”

As for Ennis, he said he continues to be moved by Flores and her dedication to the growing effort, adding that they hope to expand and help numerous more families in the future.

“God is moving through the lives of each of us in ways we never would have imagined,” he added. “This is a service that’s much-needed and much-appreciated. I’m really proud of her.” NFC clan recently asked Murray to help officiate a memorial service.

“They wanted cultural protocol, which I helped them with, as well as the church part,” Murray said. “So that’s where the two come together if you’re really adept at the culture and the language. But it takes a lot of time.”

For Murray, the investment is well worth it.

“If you do it properly, you’re showing respect,” he said. “And when you show respect they listen to you better.”

On Saturday afternoon at the congress, delegates grouped around Salvation Army flags, donned Native regalia, grabbed timbrels (tambourines) and embarked on a march of witness through downtown Ketchikan. The procession marched to a drumbeat, smiling and waving at passersby, then stopped at the waterfront, where several locals began to congregate around a Salvation Army brass band. When the crowd settled, Major John Quinn from The Salvation Army Angoon Corps stepped forward to address the crowd.

“We are The Salvation Army,” Quinn proclaimed. “We have been in Alaska for 125 years. I am so proud of that heritage that we have that is on this land—land that doesn’t belong to us. But I’m proud to share it, proud to be a part of it and proud to come in the name of Jesus Christ.”

The crowd cheered and, at Quinn’s prompting, began singing “S-A-L-V-AT-I-O-N A-R-M-Y.”

The celebratory congress focused on eternal hope in heaven, but it also revealed a shared hope for Alaska— hope that The Salvation Army could be an agent of change and healing by creating and sustaining a community where everyone is welcome.

At the waterfront, everyone eventually joined in the song—smiling, dancing and spelling “S-A-L-V-A-T-I-O-N A-R-M-Y.” NFC